Brandi Carlile to Be Inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame; Bonnie Raitt to Deliver Tribute

Brandi Carlile will be elevated into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame during an induction and taping on July 1 at ACL Live at The Moody Theater in Austin. The 11-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter arrives at ACL with a long history on the series, and Bonnie Raitt — herself an ACL inductee from 2016 — will both induct Carlile and perform a tribute that night.

The ceremony, billed as the 12th Annual ACL Hall of Fame, will be recorded at ACL’s studio home and edited into an hour-long installment for Season 52 of Austin City Limits, which premieres this September on PBS and will be available to stream via the PBS app. Austin PBS produces Austin City Limits and the ACL Hall of Fame.

“Being inducted into the ACL Hall of Fame by one of my absolute heroes — Bonnie Raitt — means everything to me,” comments Carlile in a statement. “I’m so grateful to have had such a deep and powerful connection to the city of Austin and Austin City Limits all these years — and I cannot wait to hit the Moody stage in July to celebrate this immense honor.”

The accolade lands at a moment when Carlile’s profile across mainstream and industry stages feels unmistakable. Across a two-decade-plus career, she has placed 10 titles on the Billboard 200 chart, including five top 10s. At the back end of 2025, Carlile broke the record for most No. 1’s by a woman on Billboard’s Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart when her latest album Returning to Myself debuted atop the Nov. 8-dated tally. Earlier this year she sang “America the Beautiful” at Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium, and presented the Innovator Award to Laufey at Billboard Women In Music 2026.

ACL executive producer Terry Lickona framed the induction as recognition of an artist who has become synonymous with the series.

“When Brandi Carlile first stepped onto the ACL stage more than 15 years ago, it was immediately clear she possessed a rare and singular talent,” says Lickona. “The moment you hear her voice, you know exactly who it is. She will always have a home here at ACL, and now she takes her well-deserved place in the ACL Hall of Fame. Having Bonnie Raitt there to welcome her into the fold makes the occasion all the more special.”

Bonnie Raitt added a personal note on why she is taking the stage that night: “I’m thrilled to induct my friend Brandi into the ACL Hall of Fame. She is truly one of our most respected and impactful artists. I admire her not only for her incredible music, but for standing up for the causes and artists she’s passionate about, all while balancing her wonderful family life. I can’t wait to get to perform together for this show that has meant so much to us both.”

Context and history

The ACL Hall of Fame was established in 2014 to honor artists who have played defining roles in the show’s fifty-year legacy. Past honorees include Willie Nelson, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Lucinda Williams, Roy Orbison, Lyle Lovett, John Prine and last year’s inductee Garth Brooks. Carlile’s ties to ACL are longstanding: she first appeared on the series in 2010 (Season 36), returned in 2018 (Season 44) and again in 2022 (Season 48). She has also participated in the Hall of Fame from the other side of the stage, having inducted Sheryl Crow in 2022.

That pattern—artist-as-advocate, performer, and peer-endorsed honoree—helps explain why the ACL induction feels more like a recognition of sustained cultural presence than a single career milestone. For Carlile, who has consistently balanced mainstream chart success with visible commitments to causes and community, the evening promises to be both a homecoming and a public cataloging of influence.

The highlights from the July 1 taping, including performances and speeches, will be distilled into the hour-long ACL broadcast this fall, giving the broader public a curated view of an evening that intersects legacy, friendship and the kinds of live performances ACL has spent decades commemorating.